Blog

Negotiate and Present for Success with Intel Strategist Chirag Shah

For more than 13 years at Intel, Chirag Shah has pursued a career path leading to his current position as manager of the firm’s strategic relationship with Microsoft. But his career advances didn’t stop him from earning an MBA in his spare time. “Classroom learning gives you an information repository to draw on that increases your rate of learning on the job,” Chirag reflected. “And you’re able to come in running up to speed and add value to the discussion right away.”

Blending Methods

Last Spring and Summer, while teaching our Fundamentals of Business course, Chirag covered one of his favorite subjects — strategic planning. This quarter, he’s teaching another favorite: Effective Negotiations. In this course, Chirag covers two contrasting approaches: the “win-win” approach, and a more aggressive approach aimed at getting the lion’s share. “Including both gives students a better idea of how to blend methods in a real-life negotiation,” he said, adding that the class could be useful not just for corporate businesspeople but for entrepreneurs, real estate agents — even parents!

A Dynamic Interchange

Chirag models good presentation skills, and his classes are lively and conversational. “I look for feedback on students’ interests and take pride in making sure I tailor the material to what the students really want to learn,” he said. “I cover the elements in the course syllabus, but I make sure to include real-life examples and experiences in the class.” This quarter, he is using his classroom and workplace presentation experience to also teach a how-to presentation skills course called Delivering Great Presentations.